Once I Loved
by adistantland
Summary: God it was strange to see you again. Future Q/A.


**Hello again. It's been a quite while, thanks to the overwhelming amount of schoolwork I've been getting. But the first semester is nearly over and I'll be having tons of break soon, so hopefully I can contribute to the Quartie fanbase once again. Anyway, this idea has been bugging me since I've been listening to the fabulous group _Stars_, and from RPing with _SlushieMeCarrie _on our first "future" Quartie on twitter. It isn't exactly the same, but it helped inspire this. Hope you enjoy. :)**

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><p>Artie wasn't quite sure how it happened; how he managed to become so self-sufficient, how he climbed to the top of his career without being dependent on someone, how he became the best man at his cousin's wedding, or how his said cousin roped him into meeting his fiancée. If Artie was an honest man, and he was, Andy didn't seem like the type of guy who even wanted to get married. And yet... here they were: sitting at a half empty table at a bar, patiently (or not so patiently on Artie's case) waiting for his fiancée, Julia, and her maid of honor to show up. And if Artie had to hear another word from his cousin's mouth about how much he'd like the girl she was bringing, he'd shamelessly run him over with his chair.<p>

He hated getting set up, mostly because all the girls Andy tried to hook him up with were just his sloppy seconds, or he just wasn't into them at all. But all these things stopped once Julia came into the picture, which he figured was about two years ago. And he'd have to thank her later, because all of the could-have-been's were beginning to burden him at the time. Was he just too picky? Well, not necessarily. But as much as he hated to admit it, Artie wanted the romance. He wanted to give his entire world to somebody and for them to do the same, for his partner to be chosen by fate.

Artie snickered a little at those words he heard from Mr. Schuester so many years ago. Before he even pulled her name out of the hat, he secretly hoped that it would be her, and when his wish came true... well, he was way more than a happy camper, but he obviously couldn't show that around Finn and the rest of his classmates. But it was way more than just her name on a piece of paper. He saw it as an opportunity for her to see that he was more than just a boy in a wheelchair, but even then... she didn't give him the time of day.

_No one _gave him the time of day.

He was about to give up.

"Dude, her friend is so hot..."

"Um... you really shouldn't be saying that, Andy." Artie said, clearly disgusted with the fact that his cousin was still ogling other women when he was getting married in a few months. Artie wouldn't be that way. Ever.

"Sorry, I can't help it. I'm just so nervous about this whole marriage thing. I mean, it's still not for a while, but c'mon... wouldn't you be anxious?"

Artie bit his lip and thought for a while. "Well... no, I wouldn't be. Unless I had some sort of doubt, which wouldn't be the case... because I'd know if she's perfect for me. I'd be more than ecstatic to be spending to rest of my life with someone I love. What's so scary about that?"

Andy nodded but continued to shred his paper napkin nervously. Then finally two girls entered the bar, the strawberry blonde girl waving cheerfully to Andy once she spotted him. Artie's cousin instantly lit up once he saw her, quickly ushering them over. Artie could only guess that the girl who waved at them was Julia, but... the other seemed so familiar. He just couldn't put his finger on it. And he didn't want to stare at her or anything; he didn't want to seem like a creeper. It was odd though, because when she settled her gaze on him, her eyes widened. What was going on?

When Artie realized that he was being introduced to Andy's beloved fiancée, he blinked a few times before shaking her hand. Julia then moved her attention onto her friend. "Boys, this is Lucy. Lucy, this is Andy and Artie." Lucy gave them both a polite smile. "Yes, I do think we've met before." she said, directing her inquiry to Artie.

Lucy...

Lucy Quinn...

_Quinn_!

"What the hell? Quinn, is that really you?" Artie wondered, leaning over the table to get a closer look at her. He didn't care how weird he looked right now, but he felt like he just stepped into _The Twilight Zone. _Because this wasn't the Quinn he was so familiar with before. Her hair was long and brown, but... when he really did get a good look-over, it really was her. The same hazel eyes and sweet (albeit mischievous) smile that he loved so long ago.

He let out a long exhale, still staring at her. "Wow... this is so weird."

Andy watched the two in confusion. "I'm sorry, am I missing something here?" he asked, gesturing between the two.

"We went to high school together." Quinn said, biting her lip in an attempt to prevent the smile from forming on her lips. As she said this, Artie's grin faded a little. High school. The best and worst years of his life, and Quinn knew of this. How could she not? He followed her around like a lost puppy dog, only to be let down over and over again. Shouldn't he had learned from his mistakes by then?

Artie's mind drifted off when Andy began to talk about how fascinating it was that the two were reunited before going on about the wedding with Julia.

This was _Quinn. _She probably had some ulterior motives like she did with about every aspect of her life. He could tell by the suspicious twinkle in her eyes and the playful smirk beginning to dance across her pink lips. What did she want this time? There was nothing he could possibly offer her. Artie idly sipped his drink, knowing full well that Quinn was staring at him, but chose to ignore her. He didn't want to be part of her little game.

He sighed and pushed his drink away from him. "I'm sorry guys, but I think I'm going to head home. I'm not feeling too hot." Julia and Quinn frowned a little as Andy leaned over to cousin and whispered, "You don't want to catch up with Quinn?"

Artie rolled his eyes and pushed Andy away as best as he could. "Stop setting me up Andy. I can take care of myself." he said angrily, quickly wheeling out of the bar and onto the curb, scanning the street for a taxi. It was barely a minute later when he heard heels clicking against the cool concrete behind him, slowly growing louder as the person approached him. He shut his eyes in exasperation, sighing once again. "Why are you here, Quinn?"

Quinn walked up beside him and dug her hands into her coat pockets, pouting slightly. "How did you know it was me?"

"You didn't answer my question."

She shrugged, staring down at him. "Because Julia invited me here. I am her maid of honor, after all. But if you're talking about right now, well, I don't know. I thought I should check on my old friend. He kind of made a big scene back there and I have no idea why he got so upset. I guessed that he wasn't so happy that I was there."

Artie scoffed, trying to hail a taxi. "We're not even friends, Quinn. And don't be ridiculous, not everything revolves around you... no matter how beautiful you are."

Quinn smiled softly and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, attempting to hide the faint blush that dusted across her cheeks. "Then why are you mad?"

"I can't tell you." he muttered, crossing his arms.

She sighed in annoyance and quickly hailed a taxi once she started to feel a light drizzle hit her face. After helping Artie into the back seat and stowing away his wheelchair in to the back, she slid into the spot next to him and gave the driver her address. Artie sunk in his seat. Was this really happening? Wasn't this what he was trying to avoid? Fate was being cruel once again.

"So... what do you do?" she wondered after about five minutes of silence. He removed his gaze from the window and peered at her. "Huh?"

"Like... what's your job?"

"Oh. I'm a doctor."

Quinn raised her eyebrows, clearly impressed. "I'm not surprised. You were always so much smarter than anyone I knew." Artie laughed a little and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, well... can't help it. What about you?"

"I'm a dancer. Like... ballet and stuff. I used to do this wedding planning business with my friend, but I quit. After a while I couldn't handle seeing other people get married when I can't even keep a boyfriend."

"That's kind of hard to believe."

"What is?"

"That _you_, of all people, can't get a boyfriend. You're like the prettiest girl ever. Anyone who wouldn't want to be with you would be stupid. I mean, it's more understandable in my situation. I'm a nerd, I'm awkward, and I have to carry this big chunk of metal with me for the rest of my life. No girl would want to have to deal with that."

Quinn nodded slowly. "Well, there's some girls out there who would like to take that chance."

Artie chuckled, "Oh yeah? Like who?" he asked, sarcasm evident in his voice.

Shrugging, she scooted a little closer to him. "Like me."

Whoa, _what_?

Artie stared at her for a few moments, waiting for her to psych him out. When she did nothing of the sort, he breathed deeply, feeling his stomach knot up in that oddly pleasant way once again. Was this really happening? To _him_? Why him? She could have any guy she wanted, just like in high school. But this obviously wasn't the same shallow girl before. Maybe she really did change.

Swallowing the thick lump in his throat, Artie looked down at the ground before responding. "You know... you knew that I liked you. Back in high school, I mean. Did you think I was just someone you could easily toy around with? Why didn't you do or say anything?"

Quinn frowned and played with one of the sleeves of her coat. "Artie... I'm sorry. I was just so scared. I know it sounds ridiculous and I feel guilty for saying this, but I thought it was embarrassing that I could ever be with someone like you. I know I was a bitch back then, but I swear I'm not that girl anymore. But I really did like you back then, and I'm not just saying that so you'll forgive me for being so rude to you. You're really an amazing guy who deserves a girl who doesn't care about those stupid things that I did before. But... I really didn't do anything about us because I was afraid that it was going to end up like the rest of my past relationships. I didn't want to get left behind again and again. And I knew you were still hung up about Brittany at the time, so I figured it would just be the same. I really am sorry, Artie."

He chewed on his lip again and nodded slowly. "You're the most confusing person I've ever met, you know that?"

Quinn furrowed her eyebrows, fully expecting him to get even angrier with her, but instead giving her the complete opposite reaction. She laughed softly and turned to face him more. "Yeah, well... I just want to be happy. And I'm sure you do too. I could... I could make you happy." she said tentatively, hoping she didn't say the wrong thing.

Artie blinked at what she said and thought silently for a few minutes. "Can I insult you?"

"Um... excuse me?"

"You pretty much insulted me when you said you were embarrassed to be with me, I should at least get to do the same."

Rolling her eyes playfully, she nodded, trying to stop the smile forming on her lips. Once he got the okay from her, he took a deep breath and stared at the head of the seat in front of him. "I like your blonde hair better. This is just too weird. I feel like I'm talking to a stranger."

She giggled. Artie was baffled. Wasn't she supposed to slap him now or something? "Artie, that didn't really offend me. I wasn't planning on staying a brunette for long. Believe me, I don't like it that much either. I thought that going back to Lucy might help me start over... again. It didn't, so... I'll dye it back to blonde just for you." she said, gently nudging his shoulder.

Artie's cheeks flushed a bright red. "Ugh, Quinn... I'm sorry, I shouldn't want to change you or anything like that. You can do whatever you want. My opinion shouldn't matter."

"But-"

"No buts. You should be comfortable with whatever you decide to do."

Quinn smiled softly and nodded. "Okay, but I'm still going blonde again. Regardless of your opinion."

For the first time that night, he laughed. And it wasn't like earlier when he was sarcastic; it was genuine and sweet. "Alright, Quinn. Whatever you say."

The pair fell into another lapse of silence, but it wasn't awkward like the others. It was strangely comfortable, especially now that the two finally confessed their feelings for each other, even though they already knew all of this beforehand. But still, it was nice that it was actually put out there instead of being spread by a rumor. Artie peered over at Quinn, who was idly playing with a strand of her hair. Was he really going to go for it again? He didn't really have a reason to turn her down now that she poured her heart out to him.

This was it.

"I could make you happy too, you know..." he said quietly, only enough for her to hear. Artie watched her cheeks pink and he grinned to himself. Yeah, it was definitely happening.

"I know you can."

And that was all it took to make their final decisions.

Artie's eyes fell down to her lips as he watched her smirk, unknowingly leaning in closer to her. Quinn bit her lip and looked down, feeling his lips press to her cheek soon after. She giggled again when she saw the confused expression on his face and whispered into his ear, "Not until after our first date." She quickly paid the driver and exited the taxi as soon as she felt their journey end. Artie groaned a little impatiently and let his head fall back against the car seat.

What had he gotten himself into?

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><p><strong>And that's it. Random, but I always wondered what it might be like if Artie and Quinn were ever to meet again, and this is my take on it. The song actually doesn't end on a happy note, but I thought I should write a Quartie fic that ended happily. Hope you liked it. :)<strong>

**-Kristina**


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